Caroline Spelman: I have set Animal Health (AH) the following performance targets for 2010-11:
	Value for money
	Increased operational efficiency.
	Produce a detailed, specific and costed road map for change to Animal Health's delivery model going forward designed to enable savings of at least 10%.
	Ensure that services are delivered in the most efficient way possible, centralising administrative functions where appropriate, capitalising on technology and using standardised processes to help ensure quality.
	Work with policy customers and others to deliver changes as part of the operational efficiency programme.
	Achieve a 5% (£3 million) efficiency saving by the end of the 2010-11 financial year.
	Customer Impact
	As part of the wider Animal Health compliance and enforcement strategy, encourage end user behavioural change through the development of more accessible, effective advice and guidance and through more direct and consistent relationships with key stakeholders.
	To create a clear explanation of regulatory policies and procedures for end-user customers. To help them understand the law, its associated policies and what responsibilities they have as owners/keepers. The headline advice and guidance will be compact and written in language which is easy to read but provides links to greater detail should it be required. The advice and guidance will make use of a variety of media that will enable AH to reach the target audience.
	Demonstrating the provision of clear and accessible advice and guidance is an important precursor to successful criminal prosecution of non-compliant members of the regulated community.
	Work with official veterinarians to improve effectiveness and consistency of their interventions.
	Engage with official veterinarians in module 6 of business reform programme.
	Capability and capacity
	Improve preparedness and resilience for responding to outbreaks of disease.
	Roll out new tracings module through the business reform programme, enabling more efficient, faster and consistent tracing of potential transmitters of disease.
	Reduce the reliance on unstable legacy IT systems through the development and implementation of SAM modules and releases.
	Working with our policy customers and operational partners, plan, design and deliver a programme of local and regional exercises across Great Britain to rehearse, enhance, embed and assure readiness for outbreaks of exotic notifiable disease. The programme will include objectives that test the Animal Health operational model, multiple outbreak centres and cross-border activities. To be delivered in conjunction with operational partners.
	Deliver a structured programme to assure the readiness of central and local delivery to respond to an outbreak.
	Further details are given in the AH business plan for 2010-11 a copy of which has been placed on the AH website.
	I have set the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) the following performance targets for 2010-11:
	Customer
	Meet contracted research milestones. (see footnote)(1)
	Deliver final research reports on time. (see footnote)( 1)
	Deliver contracted surveillance deliverables to time. (see footnote)( 1)
	Achieve a score of 90% in the VLA customer satisfaction survey.
	Maintain appropriate third party quality accreditations.
	Value for Money Measures & Financial Performance Efficiency
	Achieve full cost recovery.
	Capacity & Capability
	Conduct one table top notifiable disease simulation exercise to test current laboratory response capability, identify gaps and implement action plan.
	Operations
	To continue to improve the VLA's safety record using 2007-8 as a baseline.
	Sustainability/Greener Society
	Prepare a plan for water usage reduction for the 2010-11 to 2016-17 7% target.
	Further details are given in the VLA business plan for 2010-11, a copy of which has been placed on the VLA website.
	I have set the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) the following performance targets for 2010-11:
	Value for Money
	Achieve cost recovery and demonstrate progress in the three elements of value for money-economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
	Customers
	At least 70% of customers in the veterinary pharmaceutical industry to consider the level of service provided by the VMD to be good or excellent and for the VMD to act on areas identified requiring improvement within the confines of the available resources.
	Policy customers in DEFRA and OGDs consider the level of service provided by the VMD to be satisfactory.
	Operations/Policy Delivery
	Authorise veterinary medicines according to legislative requirements and to monitor their ongoing safety and efficacy and to take proportionate action.
	Ensure that the regulatory system is effective and contributes to protecting animal, public and environmental health and encourage the responsible, safe and effective use of VMPs according to the legislative requirements through proportionate action, and act to detect and deter illegal use.
	Capacity and Capability
	Ensure the VMD utilises its funding streams efficiently to ensure that it maintains capability and capacity to deliver its business objectives and is fit for purpose.
	Sustainability
	Increase recycling by 4%.
	Further details are given in the VMD business plan for 2010-11, a copy of which has been placed on the VMD website.
	(1) It is accepted that there may be mitigating circumstances for not meeting 100% in each case, and that such circumstances may be accepted as appropriate following discussions with the Chief Executive and the VLA Corporate Customer.

David Lidington: The informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers "Gymnich" was held in Brussels on 10 and 11 September. The UK was represented by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary. I represented the UK at the General Affairs Council (GAC) held in Brussels on 13 September.
	The agenda items covered were as follows:
	Gymnich
	The meeting was chaired by the EU High Representative and Vice President of the Commission Baroness Ashton. The Gymnich is an informal meeting and, as such, no conclusions were adopted.
	Pakistan
	Baroness Ashton stressed the need for the EU to look strategically and comprehensively at Pakistan: not only as a humanitarian disaster, but also more broadly including institution-building, counter-terrorism, regional stability and nuclear security. Pakistan had always said that trade was the key to its relationship with the EU. The Commissioner for Development (Piebalgs) said the Development Co-operation Instrument had provision for €225 million for Pakistan for 2011-13. The Commissioner for Trade (De Gucht) set out options for trade-related assistance.
	Foreign Ministers broadly shared Baroness Ashtons analysis and set out their initial views on De Gucht's trade options ahead of further discussions at the European Council (16 September).
	Strategic Partnerships
	Baroness Ashton set out her views on the EU's engagement with strategic powers, and in particular China. The Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs (Rehn) and the Commissioner for Climate Action (Hedegaard) set out priorities for the EU's engagement with China. The Foreign Secretary said the UK wanted the European Council to agree core principles for EU external action; emphasise the importance of trade in the EU's strategic partnerships; agree an approach to key emerging powers (particularly China and India in advance of summits later this year); and give direction to instruments of EU external action.
	EU enlargement
	Foreign Ministers from EU candidates countries-Macedonia, Turkey and Croatia (Iceland did not attend)-gave presentations on their respective membership bids and the development of stronger co-operation with the EU. The Commissioner for Enlargement (Füle) gave a broad assessment of progress being made by the candidates towards accession. In the following discussion there was consensus that EU diplomacy had been successful following the ruling on Kosovo's declaration of independence by the International Court of Justice.
	General Affairs Council (GAG)
	The full text of all conclusions adopted, including "A" points, can be found at: http://www.consilium. europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/gemaff /116489.pdf
	The GAC was chaired by the presidency, Belgian Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere. The President of the Council, Herman van Rompuy, joined the Council over lunch for a discussion on the agenda of the September and October European Councils.
	Preparation for the September European Council
	Ministers discussed the draft conclusions for the European Council. I stressed the need for these to put trade at the centre of the EU's external relationships, with China and India being of particular importance. I also emphasised the UK's wish for the European Council to agree conclusions on Pakistan that included commitments on humanitarian aid, development funding and trade measures.
	There was also a discussion on strengthening economic governance. President van Rompuy will report to the European Council on 16 September on work completed by the taskforce set up at the request of the Council in March.
	Preparation for the October European Council
	Ministers were presented with a draft agenda for the European Council to be held on 28 and 29 October. The issues proposed are:
	Economic policy- The Council will receive a final report from van Rompuy's taskforce on economic governance.
	G-20- The Council aims to agree an EU position ahead of the summit in Seoul on 11 and 12 November.
	Climate Change- The Council aims to prepare for the UN framework convention on climate change in Cancun on 29 November - 10 December.
	EU-US- The Council aims to discuss the forthcoming EU-US summit on 20 November.
	EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
	The presidency said that more time was needed for agreement between members states on the draft EU-Korea FTA. The intention was to try to reach agreement in time for the September European Council.
	AOB
	Under AOB, the Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration (Sefcovic) raised the common transparency register and codes of conduct for the Commission when interacting with lobbyists.